December 16, 2011

Tough Women, Candid Candidates

By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

BEST is the worst of categories, because there are so many different standards for television — “Breaking Bad” may offer the most searing performances, but plenty of seemingly high-minded people get a kick out of “Hoarders” or “Chelsea Lately.” There was a lot of good television in 2011, but it was also a year that stood out for deliciously bad entertainment as well.

HOMELAND on Showtime was just plain great, and certainly the best espionage thriller in a long time, a “24” for grown-ups. As Carrie, a C.I.A. officer with psychiatric issues, Claire Danes found the sweet spot between heroism and obnoxiousness. Carrie was wrong about a lot of things, but she had every reason be obsessed with Brody, the returned P.O.W. played by Damian Lewis, and national security was only one of them.

PARKS AND RECREATION isn’t new; it is in its fourth season on NBC. But like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which was also remarkably good, it managed to stay fresh — and very funny — even after breaking the sexual tension between Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and her co-worker Ben (Adam Scott). This was a year of new sitcoms featuring strong female leads and strong women behind the camera — notably “Whitney” and “2 Broke Girls.” Those comedies about urban sophisticates had their moments, but neither proved as witty or winning as the one set in a municipal bureaucracy in Pawnee, Ind.

THE HOUR was a newsroom-espionage thriller on BBC America set at the time of the Suez Canal crisis, a British period drama that for once didn’t focus on manor house privilege but instead reveled in cold-war decline. Snobs, spies and a sexy romantic triangle made the six parts of “The Hour” fly by like minutes.

DOWNTON ABBEY on PBS did go big for Gilded Age nostalgia, and while it wasn’t in the least bit original, it became an instant classic, a loving and lovable knockoff of “Upstairs, Downstairs” and “Gosford Park” and so many others. It was a Ladurée macaron that felt heart-healthy — a guiltless pleasure.

REVENGE on ABC was more of a shameful self-indulgence on the order of a half-gallon of Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream. Set in the Hamptons and very loosely based on “The Count of Monte Cristo,” this nighttime soap mixed the campy melodrama of “Dynasty” with the chic knowingness of “Gossip Girl.” As a conniving but guilt-ridden society matron, Madeleine Stowe is the new Alexis Carrington, with a touch of Lady Macbeth.

THE VOICE was the better singing contest, certainly more engaging than “The X Factor.” It was a reality show in tune with the 99 percent, collapsing the lofty remove of judges — the panel included Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine — and putting them on the line alongside contestants. Singers picked which judge would serve as mentor; judges had a personal stake in their team. And the stars performed occasionally, a reminder that they are artists, not just celebrities and industry executives. Even the audition gimmick of turning judges’ backs to the aspirants, so they had to assess them by voice alone, was a refreshing break from the customary obsession with looks.

LAW & ORDER: SVU deserves a nod for most improved series. With a new show runner, new cast members and without Christopher Meloni, this aging series got a new look and a fresh start, much of it thanks to Andre Braugher as a skillful defense lawyer. One recent stark episode about a music student who is raped in her apartment was as startlingly realistic and unflinching as any in the series’s early days.

BOB COSTAS of NBC had the best, if creepiest, interview of the year by keeping his cool — and holding onto the phone — while talking to Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant coach accused of sexually molesting children. Mr. Costas had very little notice but politely managed to keep Mr. Sandusky answering harrowing questions without in any way feigning sympathy.

THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY DEBATES were too often disparaged as a reality show, but they had all the best elements of the genre and none of the Kardashian excess. Candidates took chances and exposed themselves. Newt Gingrich acted superior and surged back from nowhere, and Rick Perry fell hard with his “oops” fugue. Even the imperturbable Mitt Romney got rattled and dropped his Everyman mien to morph into the trading-floor hotshot who bets a cool $10,000 when challenged on a fact.

LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON is the most enjoyable late-night show, partly because Mr. Fallon broke with talk show tradition and brought the Roots, a real hip-hop band. In ensuing years he made the most of his “Saturday Night Live” talent for skits and impersonations, and tapped into younger viewers with Twitter and video games like Batman: Arkham City. Conan O’Brien makes fun of people. Mr. Fallon looks as if he’s having fun.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: December 25, 2011

A television column last Sunday about the best shows of the year — including the ABC series “Revenge” — misstated the given name of the character played by Joan Collins on the old “Dynasty” TV series, which “Revenge” was compared to because of its campy melodrama. The character was Alexis Carrington, not Alex.